Declan Rice: 'Mikel Arteta was massive factor in Arsenal move'

The 24-year-old has officially become the most expensive British footballer of all time after his £105m arrival at the Emirates was confirmed on Saturday lunchtime, surpassing Jack Grealish's £100m move to Manchester City in 2021.

Rice also now holds the honour of being Arsenal's record arrival, taking the title from £72m winger Nicolas Pepe, and he has penned a five-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.

The former Chelsea academy product was also the subject of interest from Manchester City, who had a £90m offer rejected before the Gunners finally struck gold on their third offer to West Ham.

Rice's unveiling was delayed as Arsenal worked to agree a payment structure with West Ham and filed the paperwork, but the England international had his heart set on a switch to the Emirates and hailed the influence of Arteta in his decision.

"I've been looking at Arsenal over the last couple of seasons and the trajectory they've been going on. Not last season but the season before, they finished fifth but you could see the style of play Mikel was implementing. Last season was an outstanding season, blowing pretty much every team out of the water with the exception of Man City," Rice told arsenal.com.

"With Mikel and how he works, the squad, how young everyone is, the energy around the club and also the challenge of getting Arsenal back to where they belong, that means a lot to me. I know the fans really want that. For me as a player, I've come here really hungry to have more success and to spend my best years at this great club.

"I'm so excited - he [Arteta] speaks for himself. You see how he works - you got a real insight into how he works on the Amazon documentary, how he works with his players and not only as a coach, but psychologically how good he is with players, how he improves players. He's a massive factor in the reason why I've come here.

I know he's going to get the best out of me. I know I've got more levels to go up in my game, and I feel like he's the manager to take me to those next levels. I'm really excited to be working with him."

A few hours before Arsenal confirmed Rice's move, West Ham announced that their former captain would be departing after a 10-year stint at the club, during which time he went from an academy prospect to a Europa Conference League-winning captain.

The 24-year-old admitted that the past few weeks had been "overwhelming" as the two clubs worked overtime to thrash out an agreement, but he already feels "home" at Arsenal and is relishing the chance to help the Gunners return to the pinnacle of English football again.

"First of all I just want to say a massive thank you to all the Arsenal fans for the support so far. There's been a lot going on, a lot of speculation for months. But obviously as a player, you want to get things dealt with as quickly as possible, so you're settled. Today I've had my first day and I'm feeling really at home," Rice said.

"It's been a bit overwhelming because of my relationship with West Ham. [With] the love and support I have for them, it's been really hard to walk away. In football, amazing opportunities arise. Big clubs, like Arsenal, have come for me and it's really hard to turn down.

"What I like about the place is you can feel already that you can't be comfortable here, you have to push yourself to the max. Speaking to the sports science guys and the physios and the demands they have as well, it's all about winning and all about mentality, which is what I love.

"You only ever get one career and I really believe in what Mikel is building here and the squad he's building. I'm really looking forward to the future with Arsenal."

Rice ends his decade-long association with West Ham having scored 15 goals and set up 13 more in 245 appearances, and he becomes Arsenal's third signing of the summer after Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz.

The Englishman has linked up with the rest of the Gunners' squad ahead of their pre-season trip to the USA, where they will tackle the MLS All-Stars, Barcelona and Manchester United.